


The Heart of the Castle

by Lady_Mokodane



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: A lot of Draco POV to start, BAMF Hermione Granger, Best Friends, Blaise Zabini is a Good Friend, Blood, Bureaucracy is a weapon, Canon Divergence - Post-Hogwarts, Centaurs are Jerks, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Gray Hermione Granger, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hermione has many close friends, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Lets eat a squid, Magical Creatures, Muggleborn retaliation, Not Epilogue Compliant, Post-Hogwarts, Sarcastic Draco Malfoy, Swords, Theodore Nott is a good friend, Time Skips, Treeants are jerks, Weapons are weapons, self hatred but were working on it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:34:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28929624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Mokodane/pseuds/Lady_Mokodane
Summary: The new order has taken hold of the British Wizarding World. Purebloods are arrested in the streets, guilty or not, to stand trial.  At first, the students are largely spared, however, after graduation they must swear fealty to the Ministry of Magic or risk trial themselves. Draco's current goal is a life of solitude, thus he secured a position breaking hexes, by himself, in the Great Library of Alexandria. It was a solid plan.  However, plans change all the time, and when the future hope of the wizarding world disappears, he makes the decision to reverse course and do what he can to earn the forgiveness of the public and use his influence to help repair the rift in the wizarding world.With one of the greatest heroes of all time returning after a decade of being presumed dead, Draco finds that not only are all of these events connected, but Hermione's drama might finally be the thing to make him wave the white flag.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Kudos: 6





	The Heart of the Castle

The weather had been miserable for weeks, and in a rare showing of optimism, Draco Malfoy had hoped that would continue for just a wee bit longer. Had it stayed rainy, even for a few additional hours, this ordeal would have moved inside the Great Hall, where it would have been more subdued and much more tolerable.

But often, when luck was a factor, he always seemed to come up a bit short. He could not remember the weather ever having been as spectacular as it was today at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

It was the graduation ceremony for the students who fought against the dark lord, which meant the whole of the wizarding world would be watching.

And what a show the world was going to see.

Endless explosions of red, yellow, and blue confetti rained over the quidditch pitch in bouquets of color. Large crystals, enchanted with levitation, caught beams of sunlight, sending rainbows dancing across the quidditch pitch where the soon-to-be graduates were seated.

The faculty donned deep red robes, and the aisles had been lined with yellow ribbon. Draco himself, and the rest of his graduating class, sat upon chairs covered with rich blue fabric. The only green he could find, and he indeed felt petty when he found himself looking, was the grass of the pitch itself.

The stands swayed dangerously under the spectator’s combined weight as they cheered for this year’s outgoing class. He could just barely hear his own groaning as the noise grew to a new level when yet another war hero took the stage to deliver their self-congratulatory lines to the gathered public.

He had been there for hours. One speaker, after another, after another. Graduation day was as much of a spectacle as he feared. It was gallows humor where Draco found the inner strength not to pitch himself off the nearest cliff. He just knew if he offed himself, the crowds would have yet another reason to cheer, thus damning him to an eternity of spinning in his own grave.

Most of the Slytherin House, Draco included, had been terrified when Voldemort fell. But gradually, the brainwashing by their parents had been washed away. Judging others based on their blood status had largely fallen out of fashion. Mandated therapy for any student, of any house, that came of pureblood heritage helped speed that transition along.

Although honestly, at first, he would have preferred being drawn and quartered versus talking of his feelings. But eventually, he began to appreciate the sessions. Draco did the homework. He held up a mirror and hated the man he saw looking back.

It was a hard change, one made even harder by the new normal. Many pureblood parents were in Azkaban, and their children, even those not in Slytherin, were now alone. The Slytherin stands sat furthest away, smallest in number, and nearly empty. No green banners. No green streamers.

Time ticked by, and the latest speaker took the stage. He found himself scowling at the crowing of hope and forgiveness. Draco knew better. He learned of the cruel new world order from the most excellent teacher of all, first-hand experience.

Looking back, it was a matter of when, not if, the adult death eaters would receive their judgment. They would spend their lives in Azkaban. When the last prison cell slammed shut, the world came together and rejoiced.

But feelings fade, and arguments start again. The world needed a new enemy and required more justice.

There was a leadership change in the Ministry of Magic, and midway through the school year, the inevitable dominoes began to fall.

At first, the Ministry targeted known associates of Voldemort. Months later, they picked up their friends and family, blameless or not, to stand trial. The latest wave of arrests was nothing short of a traditional muggle witch-hunt. The Aurors were after anyone of pureblood ancestry who could not prove their innocence. With little oversight, they became ruthless, authorizing the use of forbidden spells to serve their warrants. Many innocent wizards were caught in the crossfire and lost their lives. The collateral damage would go mostly unreported in the press in an effort not to appear sympathetic to the pureblood cause.

It did not matter how old or young, coerced or voluntary; the gavel was coming for each of them. Purebloods were better off than Slytherins, but Slytherin purebloods had it worst of all.

Draco had known fear for a long time, and he felt it still. It wore a new face with a new set of beliefs, but still, the fear tasted the same. He knew Voldemort would have killed him, gleefully even, at the mere notion that Draco had failed him, and the current Ministry would lock him in Azkaban to rot given half an opportunity. It was six of one, half of a dozen of the other when it came to who made him more afraid.

One day, with their glistening army dressed in white, the Ministry marched on Hogwarts to arrest the pureblood Slytherins.

However, McGonagall drew her line in the sand, one woman against dozens of Aurors. She was willing to declare war on the Ministry if they moved on her students. The memory of such a slight woman, such a force of nature, standing against the iron will of Gawain Roberts, the newest Minister for Magic, was something Draco would never forget. Being headmaster came with a significant power boost, and Minerva was already more than deadly before her ascension.

McGonagall’s words were heard loud and clear throughout the school, “These are children who were brainwashed by their parents. They were too young to understand the consequences of their actions. We need to show forgiveness to these students if we are ever able to move forward. Peace is what Dumbledore would have wanted.”

Whether she had meant to or not, she earned fans and enemies that day. But at least her speech had worked—sort of.

True, the Hogwarts students would not be prosecuted by the Ministry while they were still in school. But that immunity came at a price.

Servitude.

Once students crossed that graduation stage, they were Ministry of Magic property one way or another. They could enlist in Ministry-approved service or stand trial.

Everyone knew the trials were not exactly in their favor.

Draco watched people he had known his entire life, terrified of Azkaban, sign pledges to join the Ministry the moment they left Hogwarts. Many signed on to the Department of Aurors to fight for the Americas in yet another war.

Whack! Draco’s eyes remained forward as snickering erupted from all around him. A wet crumpled ball of paper had been tossed at his head and had fallen on his lap. From there, the enchanted parchment garbled, “Inbred Slytherin trash! We’re coming for yo--” The threat ended in a squeak as he crushed the cursed paper into silence.

Draco gnashed his teeth and absentmindedly rubbed at his arm, earning a scowl from the Gryffindor beside him, as if he could see the dark mark shining through his robes. He was so close to being done with these people.

The crowd’s cheering began to swell, breaking him of his reverie. Ah, the cherry on top of his day had arrived. When he could only see the swell of curly brown hair, he tried to imagine it was someone else preparing to speak. But guilt touched him with all the grace of a sledgehammer when Hermione Granger approached the podium to deliver her address as this year’s top-scoring graduate.

The entire pitch erupted at the golden girl of the golden trio.

“Did you know she and I have been friends since we were children?”  
“Well, did YOU know that she and I used to hang out all of the time?”  
“Hermione told me that I was her best friend! After Harry and Ron, of course.”  
“I helped her fix her giant teeth, by the way.”

He snorted at the liars around him and managed to catch Blaise’s attention, sitting a few rows back. Blaise sent him a smirk, even he knew these people had more than likely never even spoken to Granger.

When Hermione cleared her throat to speak, the cheering grew louder, causing her to laugh and blush. What a great day it must be for her. The world was full of love and positivity for the mighty Gryffindor, and why shouldn’t it be? She was a hero who helped save the wizarding world.

They were two halves of a coin. Where Granger would have an easy life filled with open doors, Draco knew he was in for a hard one if he did anything less than disappear. His past choices locked his future on rails, and he had no plans to fight the course of karma.

The fact was Draco knew he deserved the hatred. He bought and paid for the death threats that plagued him almost every morning via owl when he woke. Draco wanted to fade away. He hated himself in no small part due to what he let happen to her. Shame gargled low in his belly, and over the cheering all around him, he instead heard Granger’s screaming in his drawing-room. His mind’s eye focused on the blood pooling on the floor from her carved-upon arm.

When she finally began to speak, her address seemed to have less to do with war and more to do with her family. Unintentionally, Draco’s eyes slid to his mother in the stands, wearing white, sitting alone. Narcissa had changed over the past year or so, and the close relationship they shared had grown cold. She never came to visit and hardly responded to his letters. When she did message Draco, she seemed to have forgotten so many memories he still treasured.

As the wind grew a bit wet, it started to blow even colder through their ceremony. Draco could see people in the stands gather their robes or rub their arms to stay warm. But Narcissa seemed unperturbed by the drop in temperature. Her body was still as stone as her eyes drilled deep into his. Her white robes fluttering in the wind. At first, he felt a flicker of power, but soon, a pulse of magic belonging to the House of Black was alive and wrapped around him. It felt like an electric current slithering between them. This power felt dark, and it certainly felt familiar.

Was it all in his head? Why couldn't he look away?

He was sure, as attuned as he was to the magic in his family, that he recognized its power. But no one seemed to be reacting but him. It had to be his imagination. Yet again, for the hundredth time, he wondered how she did not get arrested alongside his father.

What did she want? Why was she here? Why appear in public after all this time?

Bang! An empty chair turned over in the wind, knocking loudly into a table. It was all the help Draco needed to break eye contact. He felt tired in a new way, mentally exhausted. Immediately, he began questioning the magic he felt emanating from his mother, but he dared not look back to confirm it had all been in his head.

The clouds began rolling ominously over the pitch, blocking out the sun and bringing an entirely new drop in temperature. The wind sliced into his graduation robes and Draco fought off a shiver.

When he looked upon the stage again, he nearly choked. Granger was glorious. The wind had caught her hair, and it whipped around her shoulders and back. Her lips were red and vibrant against her pale skin, and her eyes gleamed brightly as she delivered her address with a clear voice.

It was hard not to imagine who she would be. What kind of hero would she become to everyone? This year she had devoted herself to elves. He had heard a rumor that next year, her focus would be werewolves.

Some part of him wondered if she would ever forgive the purebloods. Would she notice that even the innocent were now locked in Azkaban? If she did see, would she care? He snorted. He knew she would. As soon as she noticed, she would do anything in her power to show the wizarding world how to forgive. She would pick up the mantle for McGonagall when she retired. Or Granger would become the new Minister for Magic. Her bleeding heart led her by the strings.

Draco found himself infinitely preferring life in Azkaban versus being so pathetic he needed saving by Hermione Granger. However, he was grateful she was there to set the others free. He began wondering how she would achieve such a feat. What ridiculous acronym would she invent to help the guilty-by-association wizards and witches tortured in Azkaban?

It was no secret that outside of prison was hardly safer for their kind. Blaise had a cousin pulled from his bed, then beat nearly to death over being a pureblood. Those kinds of attacks were not rare, but what was rare was a proper investigation into them.

Students had assaulted Draco so often that Madam Pomfrey had started taking pity on him and almost seemed to like him. It had taken quite a few visits to get there, but getting his teeth kicked in certainly had its advantages. The silver lining, he supposed.

That train of thought abruptly came to an end, and the scowl ripped so quickly across his face it hurt.

Theatrically dropping from the sky, right at the closing of Granger’s speech about perseverance and bravery and understanding, was none other than Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. It was chaos on an unrecognizable scale as the crowd went wild. The boys had famously skipped their last year in Hogwarts to become Aurors, apparently, this was quite the surprise appearance.

The golden trio hugged and cried while the students around him did the same.

Draco found himself wanting to hug an entire bottle of scotch.

Soon after, they were graduated, and eventually, the crowds started to dissipate. The graduates had drinks to share and songs to sing.

His mother had left without saying farewell.

“Draco!” Blaise and Theo were calling his name loudly near the stage. Blaise’s long arms were waving him down. Nott was a bit more reserved but was watching Draco expectantly. Once he was on his way, the boys started smiling to themselves at some joke. Graduation was over, and they were all relieved about finishing school.

Draco found himself looking forward to Hogwarts becoming a memory. “Are you two ready to get out of here? The weather is putting on a show, and I would rather not get drenched.”

It was hard not to notice the lightning sparking overhead. Being caught in the storm that these clouds were promising would be yet another final nail in the coffin of Draco’s patience.

Blaise laughed over the wind, “Come on, man, can’t you be happy just once? We are done, mate! We never have to see this blasted school again! I want to savor the moment this hellhole released us into the wild!”

Theo snorted. “You are so insufferable. I enlisted last week! Not all of us are heading to France to escape the Ministry,” and he turned to Draco. “Did you know they aren’t even letting us leave school? I must stay in my dorm until they come for us next week. The Aurors called us flight risks.” He kicked at a pile of streamers that had blown against his leg.

Their impending separation had not been quite so clear as this moment. The boys had grown up this past year, and they had undoubtedly grown closer.

Unsurprisingly, it was the ever-optimistic Blaise who clapped and rubbed his hands together with glee. “All right boys, we ARE separating for a bit,” he raised his voice to speak over the wind, “but we will have each other’s back, right? Let us get this photo taken, so we have it to show our future wives and girlfriends.”

Theo chuckled and pulled a camera from beneath his robes, “Sure, but let’s hurry. I think there is a good chance Malfoy would melt if he got wet.” He held the camera out and turned it so the lens was facing them.

It was not the best way to take a photo, Draco was sure, but it was not as if they were going to have many volunteers to assist them with a photo session.

After two failed attempts, a feminine voice broke through the sounds of the impending storm, “Would you like me to take this photo for you?”

His surprise at her volunteering manifested, unsurprisingly, as a concurrent blend of nausea and anger. Immediately, Draco began using the breathing lessons he learned in therapy. He knew he could not lose his head in front of all the people that still loitered near the stage. He also knew he could not very well run away.

He had avoided the girl, despite sharing nearly every class, quite successfully until this moment.

He knew he had perhaps grown a bit high-strung over the past year, but his concern over the situation was well-founded. He was afraid that if he engaged in conversation with Granger, the guilt would cause him to throw up. Then he would either pretend to be in love with her or, worse still, tell her he was sorry.

“You don’t have to bother, Granger,” Draco clipped. “We have it under control.”

“Certainly seems that way,” she remarked with no small amount of sarcasm.

“Well, Granger, it is taking a photo. I imagine between the three of us, we can figure it out. Now carry on,” he shooed at her, “you have darling fans who need autographs.”

“I am surprised you have had any luck at all,” she retorted. “Especially getting your giant head in the frame. And for the record,” she jabbed a finger in his direction, “I do not have fans. I have people who are happy for me. Now give me your camera so I can take this stupid photo of your stupid face.”

Blaise laughed to break the tension, “Absolutely! Granger, please take the photo; you are a lifesaver.” He plucked the camera from Theo’s hands and tossed it towards their newly minted photographer, who fumbled and nearly dropped said camera before finally getting a solid grip on the strap.

“Ok, let’s see your smiling faces,” she seemed to singsong towards them as she held up the camera. It had not escaped Draco that Blaise had cultivated a sort-of friendly relationship with Hermione over the past year.

He hated it.

Theo pulled their heads together in a group hug. No one seemed to move for a while, and Draco was starting to grow impatient. Hermione called out, “Malfoy, you have to smile!”

“I am smiling. Take the photo.”

“No. Not until you smile. You are ruining it!”

“This is me smiling, Granger,” he mumbled between clenched teeth. After a few more moments of waiting for Granger to take the damn photo, a sharp squeeze from Theo on his ribs had the consequence of him barking out a laugh. His ticklishness was an unfortunate weakness, yet karma did not stop the inevitable click of the camera.

“Got it! Malfoy, you even smiled. Will wonders never cease?” she teased. Her good mood, it seemed, was immune from how much she assuredly hated him.

Draco took a step towards Hermione, snatched the camera from her hands, and threw it roughly at Nott, “Thanks, Granger. See ya, Granger,” he was officially over graduation. He was also over pretending to be nice when he knew deep down, and he would always be an arsehole.

He had only made it a few paces from the stage. “Wait!” she yelled and moved quickly to catch him. He stopped to look over her head and locked eyes with a guilty Zabini. There was only one thing she could want with him. He knew his friend had orchestrated this upcoming conversation, and he is soon going to be guilty of murder.

Within the breadth of a moment, he knew what Blaise had asked of Granger. Blaise wanted Hermione to forgive him. He thought Draco needed it to move on. However, Draco did not need her forgiveness and certainly did not want it.

He did not deserve it. He knew what he had done. “Malfoy, wait!”

Her hand closed around the sleeve of his arm, and he shook her free with a hard shrug of his shoulder, “What do you want, Granger? I have places to be. I have my own fans, as I am sure you are aware.” Well, at least he could still sound like an idiot.

She suddenly seemed quite excited, “Blaise tells me that you are going to study at the Library of Alexandria.”

“Yes,” he sighed. “Did you hope to check out a book early? I hate to break it to you, Granger, but I will be spending my time breaking hexes. I am certainly not ready to take requests.”

Rather than face trial, Draco would be signing a contract to join the Great Library as a curse-breaker. The library had less than a hundred visitors per year, and fewer still were interested in the dark objects department. Honestly, the idea of not having to deal with the public at large brought Draco close to tears.

“Well, no, that is not what I –” she fumbled. She looked back at Blaise for support, which decidedly made Draco angrier. These were his friends she was conspiring with, and he had little interest in any of their schemes.

Draco had no idea what point she was trying to make, but the conversation had long past unpleasant. “What is the matter, Granger, cat got your tongue? Or are you also wishing I had marched off to war versus pursuing an exciting career as a librarian?”

She turned red, “absolutely not! That is not what I meant, and you know it!” She enunciated by stomping her foot. He decided it was annoying.

“Listen, Granger,” he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I appreciate what I am undoubtedly sure Zabini thought was a brilliant idea. However, be a dear, and stop talking to me,” he turned to walk away, his robes catching in the wind.

He made it a few steps before her hand landed on his arm.

This time, when he went to knock her grip loose, she held fast, and she looked furious. “Is that what you think I want? You big dolt,” she was no longer fumbling for her words. “Did you think I wanted to have a quarter of our class march off to another war? I think that policy is as ridiculous as you do.”

As the undisputed king of bad ideas, rather than try and break free from her surprisingly strong grip, Draco stepped into her personal space and grabbed her hand where it clutched at his robes. “I don’t care what you want. I know what I want. I want to be left alone.”

Her response was interrupted by distantly heard yelling from the Weasel King and the Boy Who Wouldn’t Die. It appears they finally noticed their heated conversation.

He would be in significant trouble for this insignificant interaction, and he was livid that she successfully dragged him into it. Merlin forbid he get yelled at by the Princess of Gryffindor. He had to get away. He pulled Hermione closer towards him, this time planning on letting go when she was off balance.

But her balance fell apart without any help at all, The ground beneath their feet opened wide beneath them and swallowed Hermione whole.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 1. 
> 
> The Harry Potter fanfiction community is fantastic. I hope that I am able to do this drama-fueled couple justice, please comment and let me know what you think.
> 
> Yours - LM - Peace, Love, and Fanfiction


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